OBJECTIVES: In order to standardize the CRP, ESR and WBC count after three types of spinal surgery and get clinical usefulness from these laboratory dadas after spinal surgery and clincal usefulness of laboratory datas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three groups of patients(microdisectomy, anterior and posterior fusion) were chosen for the study. CRP, ESR and WBC levels were prospectively determined before surgery and at days 1-5, 10, 14,21 and 42 after surgery. RESULTS: In all patients, preoperative normal CRP level(<10mg/L) increased, reaching peak levels on the second day after anterior fusion(84.6mg/L), and at the third day after microdiscectomy(54.5mg/L) and posterolateral intercorporal fusion(152.2mg/L), with normalization in 5-10 days. Preoperative normal ESR level increased to peak level on the forth day after microdiscectomy(33.0mm/hr), and increased double peak levels after anterior(postoperative days 2&5) and posterolateral intercorporal fusion(postoperative days 3&5). ESR followed by a slow and irregular decrease, and at 42 days after surgery often remained elevated. WBC increased to variable peak level within normal limit in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid decline in CRP will probably be interrupted by a second rise or persisting elevation if infection occurs. CRP is presumably a better test than ESR for early detection of postoperative infection.
Blood Sedimentation* ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Erythrocytes* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies

Clinical professionals gain new information to assist in patient care when they read the medical literature. Similarly, in clinical preventive medicine, medical science documents that have previously published can be searched and evaluated in order to confirm the scientific support for the clinical preventive medical service offered in order to prevent chronic disease. This paper introduces the medical informatics techniques for knowledge extraction that can become the basis for clinical practice. Particularly, it discusses the clinical document retrieval and knowledge discovery tools that can search for extracting the knowledge which the medical expert desires with data mining techniques. For example, Clinical medical personnel and medical researchers can locate the information from the latest literature rapidly or find and evaluate the scientific basis for the treatment and prevention of infection. This study can be used when they analyze the correlation between accumulated and different type of data and contributes to the detection of new knowledge. Recently, the concern about the visualization of massive data and information is high as the importance of big data has received greater attention. Contributions to this technique and decision support tools will increase gradually due to the way support for decision-making through scientific evidence for the pattern changing disease is evaluated or as one of the clinical practice guidelines is accepted.
Artificial Intelligence ; Chronic Disease ; Data Mining ; Decision Support Techniques ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Medical Informatics ; Medical Informatics Computing ; Patient Care ; Preventive Medicine

Hemangioma appearing on the conjuntiva is a rare benign tumor which may be derived from vessels of conjuntiva, sclera, ocular muscles and orbit. Recently, we have experienced two cases of well encapsulated movable, round and slightly nodular conjuntival masses which had smooth, dark bluish-red colored surfaces. The masses were simply excised and histopathologic study revealed cavernous hemangioma.
Hemangioma ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Muscles ; Orbit ; Sclera

Warrdenburg's syndrome, a rare hereditary disease, may be transmitted as an irregular autosomal dominant traits, which is distinguished by lateral displacement of the medial canthi and inferior lacrimal puncta, broad and prominant nasal root, hyperplasia of the medial portions of the eye-brows, white or grey colored forelock, partial or total heterochromia of the irides, congenital deafness, etc. Recently, the authors have experienced three cases of Waardenburg's syndrome in one family. They were 29 year old male, his 4 year old son and 3 year old daughter. We report these interesting cases with a brief review of literatures.
Adult ; Child, Preschool ; Deafness ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Male ; Nuclear Family ; Waardenburg Syndrome*

A case of macular subretinal neovascular membrane was treated by red-light krypton photocoagulation. We used continuous red-light krypton laser(647.1nm) because this light is not absorbed by the hemoglobin in the retinal hemorrhage or by the macular luteal pigment(Xanthophyll). 3 weeks after treatment there was no specific change in the treated area. 6 weeks later, we found that the treated area showed some regression of subretinal neovascular membrane. After 3 monthes, the destruction of the subretinal neovascular membrane was complete, and the visual acuity was improved.
Krypton* ; Light Coagulation ; Membranes ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Motor Cortex*

No abstract available.
Echocardiography* ; Mass Screening*

To know the effect of the intravitreal silicone oil affecting the visual evoked potentials (VEPs), we reviewed 19 patient's charts retrospectively. All patients had received pars plana vitrectomies with intravitreal silicone oil injection. The oil was removed after a few months of intravitreal silicone oil. The eyes showing operative or postoperative complication were excluded in this study. The VEPs and visual acuity were tested one day before and two weeks after intravitreal silicone oil removal. The changes of VEPs and visual acuities between the pre- and post-silicone oil removal were analized. And the changes of VEPs according to the changes of the visual acuities in the pre- and post-silicone oil removal were analized with student t-Test and Spearman corelation. The VEPs amplitudes decreased significantly (p=0.03) after silicone oil removal, and the latencies increased slightly but statistically not significant. The findings suggested that intravitreal surgery itself may influence the VEPs. After removal of intravitreal silicone oil, no significant relationship was found between the changes of VEPs and those of visual acuities.
Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Silicone Oils* ; Visual Acuity* ; Vitrectomy

BACKGROUND: Age-related hearing loss is a common degenerative disorder among older individuals that warrants attention in a society with an aging population. The objectives of this study were to investigate age-related hearing loss and to estimate the prevalence of age-related hearing loss in Korea using a healthcare center-based study. METHODS: Persons older than 50 years of age visiting a selected health promotion center were recruited (n=10,118). Pure tone audiometry was performed on the subjects, and the average hearing thresholds were obtained using 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 4,000 Hz for the six-dimension method. RESULTS: The prevalences of age-related hearing loss for subjects older than 65 years were 36.8% at a cutoff of > or =26 dBHL and 10.1% at a cutoff of > or =41 dBHL. When age and gender were corrected for, the estimated prevalences of age related hearing loss for those subjects greater than 65 years in the general population were 45.8% at a cutoff value of > or =26 dBHL and 14.8% at a cutoff value of > or =41 dBHL. CONCLUSION: Our study provides important information concerning age-related hearing loss in Korea. The estimated prevalence of age-related hearing loss in the general population in Korea was high.
Aging ; Audiometry ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Promotion ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between uterine weight and morbidity in women undergoing vaginal total hysterectomy. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 549 cases of patients with vaginal totoal hysterectomy was performed. Patients included in this study underwent vaginal total hysterectomy as benign uterine tumors at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea from June 2003 through June 2004. These patients were stratified into four groups; Group I patients with uterine weight of <180 gm (n=132), Group II patients with uterine weight of between 180 gm to 280 gm (n=238), Group III 280 gm to 380 gm (n=100), Group IV patients with uterine weight of >380 gm (n=79). The groups were compared as regard age, paturity, previous pelvic operations, postoperative discharge day, postoperation hemoglobin change, operation time, postoperative complications. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the four groups with repect to postoperative discharge day (Mean=9.08 day), concurrent surgical procedure, age (M=45.96 years old), parturity (M=1.88). The overall complication rate was not significantly different (postoperation hemoglobin change (M=1.25), Complication). But the morcellation rate increased 8.33% in group I, 34.18% in group II, 55% in group III, 83.5% in group IV, respectively. The operation time prolonged as uterus weight increased.; 73 minutes in group I, 79 minutes in group II, 85 minutes in group III, 91 minutes in group IV. CONCLUSION: The vaginal total hysterectomy can be performed successfully in case of greatly enlarged uterus. Uterus enlargement is not an absolute contraindication.
Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal* ; Korea ; Leiomyoma* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Uterus